Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Tuesday Lectionary Leanings - Independence Day Edition

Those of us on this side of the pond celebrate July 4th as Independence Day. Many people will be picnicking and partying. I was planning on a low attendance/informal worship kind of day, but heard recently that some out of towners are planning a meet up that day at church! So, now I am thinking there may be more here than I planned.

Which leads me to today's scriptures. In community life, you just dont know what might happen or how people might act. But it's wise to be prepared for any eventuality, according to both the Gospel and the Epistle (particularly if you choose to add the optional first part of Galatians, as I certainly would!)

How might these scriptures speak to your congregation, community, or nation this Sunday? How do they speak to you? Let us know in the comments!

17 comments:

I am preaching this Sunday and always find it curious to ponder what to offer when the 4th of July falls on a Sunday. There is a lot I COULD say about encountering scorpions and snakes and then wiping dust off one's feet...

I don't preach on 7/4's lectionary. We will sing national hymns and use the collect for 7/4 in addition to the one for Proper 9. But the sermon will be about Naaman with a nod at Luke. No one has even mentioned processing the flags and I haven't asked for flag bearers to be added to the rotation. I was chastised for not including patriotic songs Memorial Day weekend. ;-)

I'm preaching Luke and focusing on the shake the dust off your feet bit. Current title: "The Sacrament of Failure" (a phrase I believe was first coined by theologian John Oman). Focusing not only on the letting go part regarding failure, but also on dreaming big enough that failure is possible.

No Independence Day to worry about up here, though Canada Day may be on people's minds. I plan to ignore nationalism & national holidays in the sermon, at least.We'll be keeping Vocations Sunday, which means I'll be preaching on the gospel and vocation, somehow. In my first pass, I am really struck by this bit: "[Jesus] sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go". The places we are sent are places where God is already moving and where God will move. This is so little about us (a healthy reminder for this new curate...).

I love the idea about daring to fail, though, earthchick. Maybe that'll make it in somehow too.

we are recapping the Elijah/Elisha series, and adding in this week with Namman - Sunday School are leading this bit. then asking the congregation to think about their journey with God. that was going to be individual, but as I look at it as I type, I guess we could do that as a congregational exercise - need to think more about that.

We are doing one patriotic song and two hymns. And I fear what the soloist will be singing, but since he threw a fit last year about his not getting to sing HIS song, I will not bring it up. I have a month left and I have the INMP syndrome(It's not my problem).Lat time he wanted to sing American Trilogy. The choir director put the hiatus on that one and he acted like a spoiled 7 yr old. Got love that.So, now she is gone and he volunteered to sing again. Ugh...we shall see.Hey, where is everyone?

Two of the three churches in my parish canceled services this Sunday because "everybody will be too busy to go to church." Ugh. So they'll celebrate their freedom of religion by not worshiping, I guess! With the few who will show up at the one remaining service, I may talk about stepping out in faith, not knowing the outcomes, but trusting that God is in it with us. I like the thought about daring to fail, too.

I'm giving pulpit supply to the congregation that is caring for me during radiation treatments away from home. I'll be recycling a 7/4 sermon I preached in 2004 that hits on Isaiah 66, Galatians 6 and Luke 10. Is the US the New Jerusalem? Well, no, not when you consider the number of missionaries who come from abroad to proselytize for Christ among unchurched US folk.

I'm going for a "faith and fireworks" theme, using the Luke passage and (very loosely) tethered to "I saw Satan fall from the sky like a bolt of light." Jesus sent those 70 out to light things up, and, like fireworks, it was risky, beautiful and required direct contact to work. Hope it's not a dud. (That's one of my many fireworks related puns. I'm also hoping to find a way to use "punks" for the first time ever on a Sunday morning.)